Q5. What preparations should we make before taking part in repentance ceremonies?

Master Zhiyi of the Tiantai School of Chinese Buddhism mentioned, in the Manual of the Lotus Samadhi Repentance Ritual, that prior preliminary practices are necessary to cultivating any Dharma gate. If we walk into the site for spiritual practice in haste, without purifying our body and mind and making due preparations beforehand, we might not find it easy to calm our body and mind, to practice accordingly, and to obtain good results from our Buddhist practice. 

Therefore, before participating in repentance ceremonies, we should use the methods of practice such as reciting the Buddha's name and mantras or doing sitting meditation. These regular practices can help us stabilize our body and mind as preparation for the upcoming practice in the monastery.

Through preliminary practices, we can purify our bodily, verbal, and mental actions. In this way, we can sincerely and devotedly offer our purified body, speech, and mind to the Three Jewels to accumulate the necessary provisions and blessings for the Buddhist practice. Through a process of introspection, we can generate a sense of shame, which further propels us to repent from our past mistakes before the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions. In addition, the practice of introspection allows us to make vows to practice diligently so that we can purify our body and mind and thus be freed from hindrances and vexations. This approach would facilitate our Dharma practice and help us achieve our goal of fully participating in repentance ceremonies.


Extended Reading:

Repentance Prostration: A Millenia-Old Method of Practice

Q1: What is the difference between repentance prostration rituals and regular Dharma assemblies?

Q2: Is Repentance Equal to Regret?

Q3: Can Doing Repentance Prostrations Really Eliminate Karmic Obstructions?

Q4: What is the difference between repenting alone in front of a Buddha statue and participating in a repentance-prostration Dharma assembly?

Q5. What preparations should we make before taking part in repentance ceremonies?

Q6: Why is It Necessary to Repent (Kṣama, in Sanskrit) before Receiving the Buddhist Precepts?


Resource: Issue 315 of Life Magazine, Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation
Photos: Issue 315 of Life Magazine, Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation
Translation: Dharma Drum Mountain Translation Team 
Editing: YKL, Keith Brown